Nahum 1:9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

To prevent those who were anxious about experiencing similar calamities from thinking it wise to escape from Judah to foreign lands, God challenged their understanding by asking what their perception of Him was. Did they believe that the Lord, who governs all, was harsh and retributive, doling out punishment for sins more than once? Such thoughts are misguided. If they refrain from adding to their sins, which only incite the Lawgiver's wrath, they need not fear further retribution. God has allowed them to suffer enough because of their transgressions. If they turn from their iniquities, He will relent from His anger. He has disciplined them sufficiently, and now He will show mercy to those who commit to living righteously.

Thus, the message conveys both encouragement and admonition; it steers them toward a sincere commitment to please God while assuring them of His benevolence, discrediting their fears of His wrath being uncontained. Observe how the word of God has preserved Israel: He indicated in a rhetorical question that He would not completely annihilate them, stating, “What think ye of the Lord? Will He make an end of Himself?” He reassured them that He would not topple Israel entirely nor consign them to total destruction; rather, for the sake of their ancestors, He would extend His mercy and, one day, gather them back after the Gentiles through faith, leading to sanctification and unity with God through the Son in the Spirit.

14), and leaving the corpses of the Israelites scattered in the wilderness (Num. 32), understand this: He punishes now so that there may not be eternal punishment later. Without fail, what the prophets declare must be either true or false. If they indeed speak of His severity, they have proclaimed, 'The Lord will not serve vengeance twice for the same calamity.' Should they be lying, then the assertion that 'no repeat calamity shall transpire' would also be untrue, thus rendering the apparent severity seen in the Law as false. The truth of the prophet's declaration, 'The Lord will not repay the same calamity twice,' cannot be dismissed; therefore, those who have faced punishment will not be subjected to it anew. If they were chastised again, it would imply that Scripture is false, a claim that is undoubtedly wrong. Likewise, those who perished in the flood, the Sodomites, the Egyptians, and the Israelites in the wilderness faced the rightful consequences of their wrongdoings.

One might inquire: If a faithful man commits adultery and is executed, what awaits him afterward? He will either be punished by the Lord, contradicting the statement that 'The Lord does not avenge the same thing twice through calamity,' or he will be spared punishment, leading sinful individuals to wish that they could face a quick punishment now to avoid eternal torment. Our response is that God fully understands the extent of all things, including punishment, and no one can thwart the judge's verdict or God's power to chastise sinners afterward. Severe sins require significant and lasting reparation. However, if a person is punished as those in the Law were (Lev. 24) for speaking ill of the Israelites or collecting wood on the Sabbath (Num. 15), they shall not face further punishment because their current consequence was adequate for their minor offense. The Hebrews elucidate this point: why do you Assyrians believe, in plotting iniquity against the Lord, that He will completely destroy the people of Israel, namely the twelve tribes? A double calamity will not befall them; He will not surrender Judah and Israel (or Jerusalem) to you as He did with the ten tribes and Samaria.